


Prince of the Gates

by Shadow_Hole



Series: Gates [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Bodyguard, Good Uther Pendragon (Merlin), I'll add more characters in the future, M/M, Modern Royalty, Ygraine Lives (Merlin), i guess you could call it but not really, im not good with tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27506056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Hole/pseuds/Shadow_Hole
Summary: Merlin had done it. He had revealed his magic live on national TV by unconsciously saving the Prince's life. Magic which was, apparently, more powerful than he had thought. Powerful enough to grant him a place among the best magic users of the kingdom...And as a personal guard to the royal family.Considering his rather embarrassing crush on the Pendragon heir, it was all very overwhelming.Also, who would want to kill Albion's Royal Family anyway?sequel to 'Boy at the Gates'
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Gates [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1809466
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Prince of the Gates

Nimueh closed the old wooden doors behind her, collecting her raging thoughts before slowly walking away from that room.

After wandering wordlessly through the corridors, she reached her personal wing, which was located on the last floor of the building, and let out a long breath. She leaned on a low shelf beside her for support but accidentally ended up nudging a blue and red vase off. The sound of the shattering ceramic on the ground resounded loudly in the silence of the hall. With the object, her suppressed anger broke out. 

With a cry, the remains of the once work of art went flying all around her, dissipating into dust a second later. She stood with her heart pounding in her chest, looking at the dust particles hovering in the air for just a moment before slowly falling to the ground.

"What's got you so worked up?"

Nimueh turned around quickly, startled, just to see a familiar man in a dark vest leaning on a wall behind her.

"How did you get in here, Sigan?" She asked him coldly.

He straightened up before answering, "I helped build this place, remember? I know its secrets well." He gave her a sly smile.

Nimueh turned on her heels and started walking towards her room, ignoring him completely.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," he huffed, "you look tense, won't you tell me why? You know you want to"

"No; because," she answered, drawling the letters out slowly as if speaking to a child, "it is none of your concern." 

She could almost hear the eye roll that must have been directed at her. "You are no fun. Really, you should try to lighten up a little. Just every once in a while.” Nimueh whipped back around, and his face went white. He immediately drew his features back, but both he and Nimueh knew that she had seen. 

He stopped following her and raised his hands in surrender. "Just saying," Sigan deadpanned, before walking away. Hopefully, Nimueh thought, not to return.

Nimueh waited to make sure Sigan was gone before releasing some of the tension in her shoulders and pacing up to the door. 

When she was absolutely certain it was closed behind her- she double-checked- she sighed yet again. The sorceress was completely unnerved by what she had been told. When she had walked up to the council of the Disir to find out why exactly she had been kept out of the loop... Well, she hadn't expected the answer she had received, to put it simply.

All of a sudden, she felt the urge to pulverize some more furniture. Still, she kept herself in check. Deciding that, powerful sorceress or not, these urges were not normal, Nimueh headed towards a dark room in her residence. It was where she performed the rituals required by the Old Religion, which she still chose to follow meticulously.

She summoned the photos of the people- kids- that she now knew had lost their lives without her knowing.

Nimueh felt her throat tightening, looking at the three faces looking up at her. They were magical. All of them had the spark of magic in them and were under the protection of the Community, and it had failed them. It felt as though she had failed them as well- no, she knew she had.

With slightly clouded eyes, she kneeled in front of the fire and started performing a ritual in their memory and name. Even if she couldn't inform the others, as much as it pained her, this didn't mean she couldn't pay her respects in private. 

Nimueh made sure to keep her anger at bay until the ceremony was over and the photos had become one with the ashes of the flowers and herbs used in these circumstances, so as to not taint their commemoration with those negative emotions.

The ceremony lasted for about as long as you would expect a funeral to. She finally left the room in silence and let herself grieve.

_oO0Oo_

Standing in front of the Palace, Merlin thought he was going to faint like in one of those movies- hand on his forehead and all. Such a thing had not happened yet, but that was simply out of sheer force of will and determination. He wasn't, under any circumstances, going to faint in front of a massive crowd like this, especially not in front of the cameras. 

He wished someone would tell the burly looking cameraman on his right that he could take that blasted thing off his face. The world didn't need to see him so up close, and definitely not for this long.

It didn't matter how many lessons he had gone through to prepare himself for this day. Merlin still felt unprepared for what was coming and knew deep down in his gut that he was right to feel that way. 

"You'll have to let your magic show itself. You need to let it run free. The training you'll go through is going to make sure that it will instinctively know what to do. Those right there are the words that need to be said. It is really just that simple, kid." His instructor had said this during their first lesson, handing him a piece of paper with the spell scribbled on it. It hadn't been very reassuring at the time and honestly, it had been very annoying. 

It was even less reassuring now- and even more annoying- as he walked towards the imposing building in front of him, with a rather large entourage following just a couple of steps behind. The only consolation was that he had practised this part several times already.

What unsettled him was the knowledge that now he would blackout while still having to walk around and doing all that very important and official stuff he had to do.

When he had expressed his reservations to the instructor, he had simply laughed and told him that he shouldn't feel nervous. No matter how many times Merlin had told him that he was serious, he was met with a raised eyebrow. For some reason, the fact that he couldn't remember anything that happened while his magic was free to go around just ‘wasn't believable’. Typical. 

That fact had irritated him at first, simply to become nothing more than a mild inconvenience. That was a lie. He was still properly pissed. He had really hoped that during those blasted summer courses someone could tell him what the devil was going on with his magic, but apparently not.

“Your role will be crucial. You have to show everyone you deserve to be standing right there, at their side. Show everyone the extent of your magic and everything will be alright.” That was the last answer he had received and, while he wasn’t all that convinced, Merlin could see his point and it set his mind at ease. “Especially given your age and appearance.” That comment had been rather uncalled for, though.

Merlin looked back for a fraction of a second, seeking his mother who was standing off to the side. He let her smiling face calm his nerves, then closed his eyes and turned his head towards the palace again. After a deep breath, he let his magic loose and waited for everything to unfold.

_oO0Oo_

Camera flashes were the last and first thing he remembered hearing. In between, he was sure he could identify some words and faces. In the end, it was like waking up from a dream with almost no recollection of what it was about, minus a lingering feeling that makes you think about it throughout the day just to end up with some disjointed memories that don’t make much sense overall and don't fit in any kind of chronological order.

When he could finally distinguish the general shapes of the people who surrounded him, all was still. He dared not move his head from side to side, keeping it firm and directed right in front of him, but he did sneak a glance around the great hall. He found himself between several crew members with giant microphones and cameras. He could kind of make out some nobles he hardly recognized with his eyesight intact, simply from some of those blasted articles. They were all looking at him with formal and stern expressions. He was told to expect this and to accept it, as it was the way nobles acted in these sorts of situations. Again- not fully reassuring.

A booming voice, coming from someone on his right, told him to step forward, and so he did, knowing full well what came next. Merlin had to practice this part the most, as it was the moment the King would award him with the Pendragons’ cross, one of the most prestigious awards the Crown could ever bestow upon a civilian. And wasn't that something?

An entire lesson he had had to sit through was simply how to act in front of royalty. At the end of that particular lesson, his instructor had told Merlin that he technically didn't have to follow these protocols, even if it was expected of him. Merlin had thus found the whole thing an absolute waste of time. Now though, he was most grateful for knowing exactly what to do- he would have probably panicked otherwise. Not that Merlin wasn't panicking now, as he approached King Uther who stood tall at the centre of the Great Hall, but at least he knew how to not show it on the outside.

When he was about three feet in front of the man, he stopped and gave a graceful bow as he had been taught. "Your Highness," he managed to breathe out. Somehow. Somehow because this was The King. Not only that- which was already still a good reason to lose control of his speech. This man was Arthur Pendragon's father. Good grace, how was he supposed to keep a straight face when all he could think was: 'Sir, I periodically wank looking at photos of your only son and heir'? How? This was truly unbearable. These thoughts made him want to look for Arthur in the crowd, but he couldn't turn his eyes from where they were glued on the King, who was taking the Cross from a man who had arrived on their left with a crimson cushion in hand. 

Without the slightest hesitation, King Uther fixed the Cross with the Pendragon Crest right on his chest, right over his heart. His heart which was completely pounding like crazy under his ribcage. He wondered whether The King could feel it.

"Merlin Emrys," boomed the King, extending his hand.

Merlin reached out as well and gave what he believed was a fairly firm shake.

"Thank you, Sir."

He cringed right away. This wasn't what he was supposed to say. The King seemed to pick up on his distress though, since he gave Merlin a small smile and pet his shoulder, both actions startling the boy.

"It is I who must thank you. You saved the Prince's life. A reward was the least we could offer you."

Merlin was acutely aware of the cameras still flashing from all directions but the smile, although a little menacing, was genuine, shocking him enough to finally stop caring about them and smiling himself. 

It was then that King Uther turned and told Merlin to follow. They got out of the hall, cameras still following, getting into a smaller room which Merlin was sure he had never seen before. He suddenly realized he didn’t quite know what to do, as the rehearsal never included this part of the ceremony. This was thus, quite the worst moment to be introduced to…

Oh, no. 

Arthur. As in, the Prince. As in, God, _Arthur Pendragon_. He was standing with his mother and sister in front of a round table at the very centre of the room. Knowing that he was staring and that he still had the King beside him, Merlin unfroze as quickly as possible and gave a deep bow, cringing right after when he remembered that he didn’t need to bow, but to simply tilt his head forwards.

When he straightened up, he saw them still looking at him. 

“Your Majesty- Majesties.” He felt an awkward blush spread up his neck and onto his ears and cheeks, and gave a neck bow to hide his reddening face.

He then looked at Queen Ygraine, as she always appeared to be kind and calming on photos, videos and any time she spoke on national TV. Thankfully, he was rewarded with a bright, but gentle smile, which somehow, put him at ease. When he looked at Princess Morgana, Merlin found that her smile quite resembled more her father's than Queen Ygraine's. Her entire appearance was, if not threatening, at least intimidating. Merlin found himself swallow a lump that had formed in his throat while looking at her imposing figure, looking taller and straighter than the other women in the room without the huge flowery hats they all seemed to wear.

It was then that Merlin turned to the Prince. 

He, like the rest of his family, was looking at him. And Merlin wanted to convince himself to consider his stare as nothing more. Because, of course, that was polite regard to someone who saved your life. His objective, rational brain was wisely telling him that his stare was the same as the rest of his family. And Merlin believed his brain. Of course, he did. 

This fact didn't stop his foolish heart from speeding up stupidly and telling him that he wasn't dreaming. That Arthur's eyes were fixed upon him, and that this was the best thing that could have happened to him. That there was something there, in his eyes. Curiosity and actual interest in them. And, by the way, could the world stop for just a second and consider how blue those eyes were?

Merlin was so lost in his thoughts and his scrutiny that he didn't realize that outside of his small, pitiful world, time continued to pass.

Arthur seemed to wince as though someone had punched him on the arm, and quickly turned to glare at his sister before walking towards him.

Merlin came back to his senses as well. He would have been grateful for this fact, had his nerves not come back as well- this time twice as strong. His thoughts were so in disarray that Merlin was shocked when he managed to extend his arm to shake the one Arthur had already raised. His insides went a bit crazy when the man in front of him gave him a genuine smile, which, God, Merlin couldn't believe formed dimples on his cheeks. Wasn't that cliche?

Merlin was feeling so lightheaded that he didn't hesitate to answer with what was probably a foolish-looking smile.

"Greetings, Merlin," said Arthur. Could the world literally just end now? It would have been fine with him, truly, Merlin could see no downside or loss, because Prince Arthur just called him by his first name, so clearly, all his life goals were met and he could die in peace and great, great happiness.

"Your Highness." Merlin congratulated himself for not stuttering. He then bowed again and chastised himself right after because, God, there was a strict number of times one should bow in a day, and he had already crossed it. Arthur didn't seem perturbed though and kept smiling politely. Merlin thought that was very nice of him.

It was then that he realized he was still holding onto the Prince's hand, so he let go, feeling flustered. Not an enormous change then.

Arthur nodded in the direction of the cameras all around them, and Merlin was almost surprised to see them still there. The rest of the room had seemed to disappear during the last minute.

"I wanted to thank you, honestly, and without the usual formalities of court. I'm sure it would be easier on the both of us," said Arthur then, gaze settling on Merlin again after having scanned the room.

Not knowing what to say, he said exactly what he had been thinking, hoping no ears or microphones could actually hear him.

"To be honest, nobody told me about this part of the ceremony. So I- ah... am not quite sure how I should answer right now," Merlin stuttered out sheepishly, hoping that the Prince would understand his panic and internal struggle. "Could you please maybe tell me what I'm supposed to do?"

To Merlin's great relief- and wonder- Arthur just laughed. Alright, it was more of a pitiful chuckle, but he didn't expect anything more at the moment. His stomach even did a small barrel roll at the thought of having made _Arthur_ laugh. _Oh, shut up, he didn't laugh_ , but well, whatever.

"Alright, I'm sorry they didn't warn you. Just smile and give a small nod or two every once in a while, just-" He made an averted movement towards Merlin with his hand, before he continued talking, "You don't need to bow often. Try to keep your head high." 

Merlin went through the next stage of the emotional rollercoaster he was in and felt embarrassed once again, so he simply nodded as instructed.

"Now all of us will have to go outside, there will be a banquet. It's honestly just an excuse for the other nobles to eat, but we will also have to go through some photoshoots," Arthur explained, gesturing towards the window that showed the park with a slight tilt of his head. "You will also have to interact with the rest of my family. Don't worry about it, my parents won't bother you too much. Just watch out for Morgana, she can appear scary to some." 

After Merlin's totally understanding nod- Morgana was scary- the Prince simply signalled to the hall that they were finished and motioned Merlin to yet another door. A lot of human time had passed, but Merlin was still reeling from the way Arthur had talked to him. His brain kept telling him to stop being such a hopeless fanboy. His brain was right once again. Obviously. Listening to it, though, was quite a difficult task to perform.

Once outside, he found his mother again, who was looking at him with proud eyes. He somehow managed to answer with a smile of his own. 

While there was more food than what was probably necessary, even with the nobles and some representatives ("representatives of what?" "Nothing important to be honest”), Merlin didn't manage to eat much. There were many handshakes involved in keeping him away from the tarts. Also, nausea, but really the tarts looked delicious enough for him to get over the fear of throwing up in public.

As Arthur had mentioned before, he had needed to pose for several pictures. So much so that his cheeks had begun to ache. Yet, he started to miss having to smile in front of the cameras when Merlin realized he had to talk to all these people. The ache was preferable to this. Absolutely anything would have been preferable to this. No one other than Arthur had seemed to realize he was in a constant state of panic, and so he wasn't spared from all the questions he didn't know how to answer.

"How does it feel to suddenly be on national television?"

"What made you act so bravely that day?"

"Did you expect to receive such recognition?"

"Did you do it for the glory?"

After a while, Merlin simply chose to tune everything out. Every once in a while, though, he felt like a prickle on the back of his head. When he turned around it was to find Arthur looking at him, with an expression he could never hope to interpret. The last time this happened, instead of looking away quickly, he held the Prince's gaze. Just as he was ready to go talk to him, to see what he wanted, he was asked to take a couple of pictures yet again. Better than talking, he supposed.

When he and his mother finally made their way to their flat, the sun had already set. This meant Merlin could finally scold himself for not trying harder to talk to Arthur more and scold himself he did. Regret coursed through his body as he struggled to fall asleep, knowing he probably wouldn't try harder even if he ever got the chance again. So, double regret.

_oO0Oo_

After just the first week of lessons and training, Merlin realized that he wouldn't be able to do much during this summer. His holidays were going to be dedicated to learning all there is to know about his future positions. It felt like going to school again, but with less lenient teachers.  _ Somehow _ . He found himself missing high school. And wasn't that a surprise? The only free day he was granted by some merciful God was Sunday, while the other six days were divided evenly between magic lessons for the Community and Training for his guard duties.

On Monday, he had been welcomed in what he considered to be the magical embassy in the UK, which in reality had a much longer denomination he didn't particularly care to remember.

A young man was waiting for him inside and introduced himself as Gilli. He had a friendly smile and Merlin liked him right away. He was going to be his instructor for the first month of his learning experience. Gilli's job was to introduce Merlin to the basics of magic that everyone with powers should know. As well as some primary history lessons on the Community. After four weeks, Merlin will have to specialize in what Gilli had called 'Signature Magic'. He didn't go into details, and Merlin didn't ask more about it, figuring that, in due time, he'll be told more about it. 

Merlin had been very excited by the prospect of learning about magic. After the first three days, he found out that no matter how interesting the subject, nothing could make eight hours of work each day easy to endure. Now, his mind was a jumble of new terms and information about elemental magic. 

By the time Wednesday ended, Merlin would have been happy to just lay in his bed. To his chagrin, the alarm clock still woke him up Thursday morning at six. 

He grumpily woke up and dressed so that he could arrive precisely an hour later to the palace gates.

His training consisted of both physical and magical activities and preparation, not to mention the lessons of protocol he had to follow along with the other guards, who were giving him odd looks. Not that he blamed them. 

Thursday was the day he had to take those particular lessons. The instructor was Galahad Corbenic, head of the Royal Guard. He seemed like a very strict bloke. Despite this, the man had introduced himself with a gentle smile which made him look less intimidating.

Friday, Merlin would be taught about his unique role in the palace and how to use magic to fulfil it. During those lessons, Merlin would have to follow Alator Catha around the castle. Merlin soon found out that Alator himself was part of the Council. Saturday... Saturday there was physical training. Out of everything he had to go through during the week, this was by far the worst. While he wouldn't need the strength and agility the other guards were required to own, what he was subjected to was nothing short of the military drillings his father had told him about. Valiant Shield was a brute of a man, and Merlin was glad that he wouldn't have to see him ever again after the summer. He was lucky that the next day he could sprawl on his bed and sleep the entire day.

_oO0Oo_

_ "Well, if it makes you feel better a woman shouted at me today because I had put too much cream in her coffee..." _

"Why would that make me feel better?"

_ "I don't know...sympathy? The, 'I'm here with you, bro' vibe?" _

"I'm just sorry you got shouted at, to be honest-"

_ "At least you didn't spill the coffee all over the lady's dress, Gwen. That's something I would probably do-" _

_ "Are we done with the pity party now? Honestly, I'm getting depressed! Gwen met a Karen, Elly's boss a jerk and Merlin's gonna break by the end of the month. Makes me wonder why I bothered joining the call," _ Will interrupted. Through the speakers, Merlin heard Gwen mutter a 'thanks, Will' just as the boy started talking again,  _ "by the way mate, you should like... er... totally give up now? I've told you the job was going to be horrible. Listen to your homie. It's not too late to sign up for college!" _

As Merlin face-planted the pillow he could hear an angry, 'William!' from Elena and Gwen stating, 'I'm kicking you out of the server, honestly'

_ "What? You've heard him! This summer is going to be an absolute madness to go through, and why would he want to work _ there  _ of all places?" _

_ "I can honestly think of several reasons. The absurd amount of money he'll get for it is the first of the many." _

_ "And didn't you hear him? There is a very good chance he'll meet the royals on a daily basis? That is so sick!" _

_ "Elena, could you pitch your voice a little bit lower? My dog started barking," _ there was a pause in which they could, indeed, hear Will's dog barking from somewhere nearby,  _ "plus, like... who cares? I don't think one of Merlin's main goals in life is meeting some snobby royalty. Right Merls?" _

It took Merlin a second or two to concentrate on what he was being asked, "No, not really," he lied. He couldn't seriously tell them that that was one of the key reason he accepted the offer in the first place.

_ "See? I told you so-" _

_ "No one wants to hear it, Will. Merlin made his decision." _

_ "Fine. Whatever. See if I care. Don't come back whining that it's tiering or the nobles are prats. I warned you. Remember that." _

_ "Speaking of," _ said Elena, not bothering to acknowledge Will's ramblings more than necessary,  _ "were you not supposed to study or- I don't know... whatever it is you have to do for those sadists." _

"Don't remind me..." grumbled Merlin, contrite, "I'll go through the papers Gilli gave me on the way there tomorrow."

_ "Well, I, for one, am quite interested in learning more about the magic side of history. It's not like they teach us these things at school." _

"If you actually  _ do _ want that, but I mean, why would you? But whatever- suit yourself... I could send you a picture of my notes," Merlin scratched his chin, "One of these days anyway... When I finally find the strength to do so." 

As if on queue, he let out a tired sigh. He could hear a quiet snicker from the end of the line, "I'm ending the call, I swear-"

_ "No! Come on Merlin! It's just that- Is it truly that boring? As Gwen said, it sounds interesting enough..." _

"I've seen the summary, and nothing really happens before King Bruta's reign. And even then- I don't know... It isn't as impressive as you'd imagine it would be."

And it wasn't. It consisted of unrepentant persecution until the unlikely alliance between the King and a powerful sorcerer. Later, said King died during the First Great War. This way, the first member of the Pendragon line managed to succeed him, as the closest relative to King Bruta. King Constantine would then sign a peace treaty with the magical community. That was the last executive decision taken by the Monarch before, on the twenty-fourth of December, the Parliament replaced the true role of leadership. Merlin thinks Will celebrates that date as if it was Christmas.

_ "So... you are saying the history of your people is boring, mate?"  _

"'My people', what am I now, the King of all things magical?" Merlin huffed a scoff that was supposed to be exasperated but probably (sadly) sounded more fascinated than anything else, "and I am being honest here... It is quite boring. There isn't much to learn about."

_ "So, what else do you need to prepare for?" _ Asked Elena.

Merlin groaned once again and then rolled onto his back. This almost sent his phone flying out of the bed. "Do we  _ have _ to talk about this?"

_ "'Course we do. Our lives in comparison are quite dull. You need to experience the world for the rest of us," _

_ "Talk for yourself, my life is fascinating!" _ Will said

"Some etiquette for Thursday and-" he keened a bit, "all those wards Alator told me to study. He will test me on those next Friday. Frankly, that guy kinda gives me the creeps..."

_ "Guys? Guys, can you hear me tho?" _ suddenly asked Will, probably having caught on the fact that they hadn't answered the majority of what he had said in the past few minutes,  _ "Is my mic still on?" _ There was complete silence for a while as they heard some noises coming from Will's line, as well as a few profanities from the boy's mouth. The perfect silence was interrupted by Elena's undignified snort followed by her booming laughter.

_ "Oh! Fuck you guys!" _ Will exclaimed as Merlin and Gwen joined Elena in her uncontrolled giggling.

~~how I picture the Pendragons' Cross~~

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, here we go.  
> I am considerably late. If I ever set a date for a new chapter, don't trust me. It will be easier for all of us, I believe.  
> Please, feel free to give me any criticism. My absolutely wonderful beta, Maxeninale is amazing and any mistakes you may find are completely my own.  
> I'm not a native English speaker, nor do I consider myself a writer, but I want to improve :)  
> The "never ask when a chapter will be updated" rule doesn't exist here. Do put pressure on me, it's how I work best.  
> I have a lot already written down, like... 10k more words, so... yeah.  
> My notes are absolutely long and unnecessary, I know. I'll go now.  
> Thank you for reading :)


End file.
